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Funding Public Transportation Access for Philly Residents

Official:Adding Chapter 21-3500 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled “Transit Access Fund,” to establish the purposes for which appropriations to the Transit Access Fund may be used, and to establish public reporting requirements related to the Fund.

Sponsor: Councilmember O'Rourke

Introduced: April 24, 2025

finance planning transportation

Plain-Language Summary

This bill establishes a Transit Access Fund and sets out how money in this fund can be used to improve public transportation access across Philadelphia.

What This Bill Does

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Establishes a Transit Access Fund, which will be used to improve public transportation access across Philadelphia.
Specifies that appropriations to the Transit Access Fund can be used for purposes related to the Zero Fare Pilot program, which provides free public transportation for low-income Philadelphians.
Requires public reporting on the Transit Access Fund, including the purposes for which the funds are being used and the results of those efforts.
Establishes that the Zero Fare Pilot program is a national model and can be expanded to serve 35,000 low-income Philadelphians, with preliminary results showing significant impacts on economic mobility and quality of life.

Both Sides

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The case for

By passing Bill 250376, the City of Philadelphia will improve the lives of 35,000 low-income residents by providing them with free public transportation, giving them greater freedom to access job opportunities, healthcare, and other essential services. This bill also ensures transparency and accountability in the use of Transit Access Fund resources, allowing the public to see how their tax dollars are being spent to benefit the community.

The case against

This bill could lead to long-term financial burden on Philadelphia taxpayers due to the establishment of a Transit Access Fund, which will necessitate annual appropriations from the city's budget. The bill also requires public reporting, which will impose additional administrative costs on the city's already-strained personnel and resources. By setting a precedent for the expansion of the Zero Fare Pilot program, the bill may also commit the city to ongoing funding obligations without sufficient consideration of the program's long-term financial sustainability.

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